


Seeing Clearly

by GuardianLioness



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Gen, Middle-Blocker Friendship, T for Action Sequences, Yamaguchi Tadashi-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 10:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15794625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianLioness/pseuds/GuardianLioness
Summary: Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Hinata are scouts for Crow Haven, a village of magical individuals hunted by the outside world. When raiding parties begin to appear in the forest around their home, Yamaguchi must come to grips with his insecurities about his weak innate enchantment.





	Seeing Clearly

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the Haikyuu!! Middle Blocker Zine, _[Iron and Concrete](https://middleblockerzine.tumblr.com/)_!

** I.  **

 

Yamaguchi steadied himself, picking his way around the corpses and tree roots. As his pulse slowed, he plucked the last arrow from motionless flesh. Hinata and Tsukki sat by a boulder a few yards away from the now-still battlefield, and with heavy limbs, he moved to join them.

Their silence and the state of their spells belied their exhaustion. Hinata’s sun blade blazed in his grip, but both its flames and the runes along his forearms that fueled it fluctuated with his gasps for breath. Tsukishima’s armor was already dimmed by the afternoon sun, and now it flickered as the gem sustaining the spell grew dull on its chain.

Slumping to the ground, Yamaguchi pulled a rag from his satchel and counted the arrows, wiping the gore from each metallic point. Hinata was the first one to break the quiet, letting his grip on the magic slip so that runes and sword faded away. “Do you think those were the guys Lev mentioned? The ones who tried to break through to Cat Point?”

“Could be. It really doesn’t matter.” Tsukki yanked the gem and chain from around his neck, and his moon-spun armor fell away to reveal tattered traveling clothes. “They’re trying to get past Nishinoya’s barrier. We’ve got to shut them out anyway.”

Shutting them out was a task easier said than done. Crow Haven’s distance from the rest of civilization, its clever hiding place on the side of a mountain, had long kept their city hidden. With the addition of Nishinoya’s shielding charms, it was the safest place for their kind, people with the heat of the sun or calm of the moon running through their veins, magic too disparate in kind to name.

There were other hideaways, yes — Cat Point, Owl’s Roost, and Iron Halls among others — but Crow Haven was of a different kind. It was hidden, secure, and completely free from persecution. Until now, at least.

“The Chief wouldn’t have sent us here if the problem was just a couple of bandits.” Yamaguchi slid the clean arrows into the quiver on his hip. “Kageyama and Sugawara’s scrying magic is too strong to have made a mistake. So even if they’re not the same group, it’s something we need to take seriously.”

Not that they needed reminding. Tsukki’s cold, silver energy and Hinata’s sparks were always serious, and few enemies could stand against them. Both of Yamaguchi’s traveling companions were dangerous, and that was why Chief Ukai had chosen them as the frontrunners, scouts who could defend their home. He’d sent the best — and Yamaguchi.

Why he was assigned to the scouting mission, he couldn’t say. Tsukki was untouchable and Hinata unstoppable. He was neither, and Chief Ukai knew that, had been the one to draw out Yamaguchi’s faint magic in the first place.

Hinata’s jaws parted in a yawn, and they took it as a sign to search out a viable campsite. Yamaguchi checked his arrows again and scooped up his bow while Hinata staggered to his feet. Tsukki slipped the silver chain over his head again, and they walked.

** II.  **

 

Flint sparked in his grip as Yamaguchi silently pleaded with the tinder to catch. He knew how to build fires, and had gathered and arranged the fuel himself, but creating the flame was a different story. Hinata was already asleep, sprawled out and snoring on his messy bedroll, but even if he had been awake, the fading dusk light would have hindered his sun magic.

“Here.” Tsukki plucked the flint and dagger from his grip, and a click of metal later, the pine straw at the base of the wood was smoldering.

“Thanks.” Tsukki looked better. The paleness had left his face, and his hands didn’t tremble from exhaustion. The gem on his necklace, muted though it was, was regaining some of its luster as the moon rose.

“You should sleep,” Tsukki said, setting the flint and knife aside. “The idiot’s already beaten you to it.”

“Someone has to keep watch.”

“The moon’s full.” He shrugged with a polished kind of carelessness.

“You have to be tired too.”

“It’ll be enough to keep me going for a day or two.” He reached for the gem pendant. “I’ll trade with Sunshine at dawn. He’ll be fine by then.”

“Fine,” Yamaguchi sighed. As Tsukki perched himself on a tree root and tipped his head back to face the sky, Yamaguchi untied the cords on his bedroll, setting it out near Hinata’s. 

The halo of light reflecting from the moon’s surface fed Tsukki. He said it was as good as a hot meal or a long nap, bringing strength to his tired limbs and clarity to his mind in addition to fueling his armor. He could stay awake for days just by basking under the nighttime sky.

Hinata was the same way. The sun’s corona charged his body and weapon alike, leaving his eyes with a blazing gleam. As soon as its rays peeked over the horizon, he would be awake and happy. It was only logical for them to take the brunt of sentry duty. That didn’t make it any more appealing, though.

Gold and silver did not flow through Yamaguchi’s veins. All he had was sight. That was what Chief Ukai called it as black energy flowed from his void-dark wings, coiled around Yamaguchi’s wrists, and dragged his latent magic to the surface.

He didn’t quite see how the Chief could call the glassy distortion “sight.” The air and earth warped under his gaze, twisting or stretching or vanishing altogether. Distance did not affect his vision, and neither did anything else. Trees, rocks, even mountains faded out to let him see past if he wished it.

Yes, it was a gift. Yes, it was useful. Yes, it sealed his fate as a permanent inhabitant of Crow Haven. But it was useless as a means of defending his friends and his home.

He wanted to fight with Hinata and Tsukki, to push back the threats that always hovered at their door. He could see with such clarity, but that wasn’t enough. Curling up on his bedroll, Yamaguchi let his eyelids slide closed, shutting out the world that could not hide from him.

** III.  **

 

Yamaguchi jolted awake as Hinata poked him in the ribs, a dark wave of panic washing over him. “Yamaguchi! It’s morning!” he chirped. “Tsukishima’s getting breakfast set up, so help me pack!”

“Right,” he muttered, ignoring the way his stomach flipped as he pushed up into a sitting position. Tsukki was already up? Had he even slept at all? There was no way to tell. He had the same quiet look on his face as always. The gem on his necklace, at least, looked fully recharged, opaque with light.

The fire was still crackling, embers popping as Tsukki turned over three leaf-wrapped packets and buried them in cinder.

“Is it ready yet?” Hinata bounced on the balls of his feet, and the faint glow of his runes flashed against his skin.

“Be patient, shrimp.” 

“Hey!” Hinata squawked, and Yamaguchi turned away as the bickering ramped up. By the smug tone in Tsukki’s voice, he could tell this wouldn’t be over anytime soon, especially with the morning light fueling Hinata’s fury.

He busied himself with repacking the bedrolls and trying to ignore the building feeling of dread. Anxiety wasn’t a new feeling. It was part of his heritage and his job. Having magic was dangerous enough, and as scouts, they were practically asking for trouble.

Yamaguchi had grown accustomed to the twist and lurch in his stomach, which is why the sensation was so troubling. It wasn’t blind, sickening panic. It was a growing, writhing distortion that weighed on his whole body.

Something was wrong, and he could only hope it was something wrong with  _ him _ .

He finished cinching up the bedrolls and tying them to to their packs by the time the familiar arguing stopped. “Yamaguchi!” Hinata shouted, even though he was only feet away. “It’s time to eat!”

“Coming,” he said, setting aside the bags. By the time he joined them near the campfire, Hinata was already stuffing his face with roasted grain and vegetables.

“S’good,” he said around a mouthful, “but it’d be better with meat.”

“Which we could’ve had if you weren’t so loud,” Tsukki drawled.

“Yamaguchi, can you hunt today? While we’re walking? You can see through the forest, so you can find a deer or something!”

“Deer don’t like noise.” Yamaguchi accepted one of the leaf bundles from Tsukki, unwrapping it and hissing as he burned his finger on a stray cinder. “But if I see one, I’ll say something.”

They ate, and Yamaguchi felt a prickling sensation rise on the back of his neck. Tsukki was watching him.

“Tsukki?”

“You’re all tense. Did you see something?”

“No.” Yamaguchi wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I just have a bad feeling.”

“Well, we’ll be careful!” Hinata grinned. “Between the three of us, we can handle it.”

“Right. If by handling it, you mean setting it on fire.” Tsukki smirked.

“Are we still headed south?” Yamaguchi tossed his now empty leaf aside, wiping his messy fingers on his cloak. “The guys we fought yesterday definitely came from that direction.”

“If we get closer, I bet you’ll be able to see their hideout!”

They straightened up, and Yamaguchi frowned. “I could see their hideout now. I just can’t tell exactly where they’re coming from, and that’s a lot of distance to search.”

“Let’s get going. You’ll be able to find them.” Tsukki reached for the pendant on his necklace, and frosted moonlight knit around his body, manifesting in armor plates.

They gathered their weapons, extinguished the fire, and set out.

** IV.  **

 

Even the soft squelch of their footsteps on loam was enough to make him flinch. The toxic feeling hadn’t subsided as they marched, and the encroaching darkness did little to lift his mood. The foliage was knit overhead so tightly that it shut out the sun, leaving them to travel by the pale glow of Tsukki’s armor and the faint flashes of sun that raced along Hinata’s forearms.

The dimness didn’t bother Yamaguchi, exactly. He could see without light. It just made the wood feel even more ominous.  Letting the trees fade slightly around him, so that traces of their trunks and roots were visible but didn’t impede his sight, he reached for an arrow.

He was almost relieved when he saw first one shape and then another slip into his line of sight around a hundred meters away. The air rippled in front of him, warping so he could see every detail.

A crest, emblazoned on their tunics, confirmed what Yamaguchi suspected.

“Scouts, a hundred meters away,” he said. “They’re wearing the same symbol as the ones who tried to kill us earlier.”

“A second party.” Hinata tempered his voice for once.

“They’re heading this way, weapons drawn.”

“Get up in the trees, Yamaguchi.” Tsukki’s pendant surged as he spoke, and the blinding white of his armor grew more opaque. Yamaguchi listened, scrambling up into the branches of the nearest tree. He crouched in the fork of some branches and nocked an arrow to his bowstring. Hinata flicked his wrist, and the blade of solid fire appeared in his hand.

“Try to capture,” Yamaguchi whispered. “Maybe we can make them talk.” They still knew nothing about their enemy, save that they were intent on finding Crow Haven, and they weren’t afraid of using force to do it. As thorough as Sugawara’s ability to scry others’ intentions was, it rarely provided a thorough explanation.

Hinata nodded, slipping away from Yamaguchi’s tree. Tsukki did the same, positioning himself several paces away. “Fifty meters,” Yamaguchi hissed through clenched teeth.

The two men had been joined by a third, and then a fourth. The other two were outnumbered on the ground, and even with their magic, it wouldn’t be a fair fight. Still, they’d faced worse odds. Feather fletching brushed his cheek as he drew the string taut with shaking fingers.

Twenty five meters now, and too close for Yamaguchi to call another warning. One of the men shouted, and suddenly it wasn’t four, but five. He cursed under his breath, and let his vision slide out to show a greater breadth of the woods.

Six. Seven. Eight. Eight men in uniform tunics were converging on their location in waves. He’d been too focused on the initial pair that he’d missed them coming in from the sides, but if he warned Hinata and Tsukki, it would ruin any chance they had of catching the first few off guard.

He let out a huff, waiting for the first one to step into bow range, still keenly aware of the sickening anxiety pressing down on his shoulders and pooling in his stomach.

It came as it always did in battles: the feeling of motion, the world reeling out of control. Their enemies moved, blurs in Yamaguchi’s sight.

The roar of wind and the crackle of flames erupted from the right. He turned, gaze piercing the foliage. Hinata’s sword flared, hissing as it swung, the heat displacing the air around him. One, two, no, three of them had found him, backing him against a thick tree trunk.

A yell tore out, splitting the fire’s cry. Yamaguchi’s head whipped towards the sound. Tsukki — The other five encircled him. One had found a chink in the weave of Tsukki’s armor. A blade sunk into the space between his pauldron and breastplate. Red stained white, cutting scarlet trails in the decorative grooves.

A sharp groan rang out in Hinata’s direction, rattling metal cutting off the sound of rushing wind. Yamaguchi tore his focus away from Tsukki and — Hinata was pinned, his sword dispersing underneath the weight of a chain-woven net.

No.  _ No! _

Yamaguchi’s vision tunneled. 

It wouldn’t respond, wouldn’t shift, wouldn’t even return to normal, letting the tree cover grow solid again. He was stuck, focused on one of the men that held Hinata and the net to the ground.

Hinata snarled.

Tsukki gasped for air.

And then Yamaguchi understood. He could see where the man’s damaged armor left his side exposed.

Drawing in a breath, forcing his hands to steady, Yamaguchi let the arrow fly.

The man fell.

The nape of a neck. Unshielded ribs. A careless hand. Yamaguchi’s sight revealed target after target, and each shot was followed by a scream.

When the warped haze released him, the world returning to full substance, the bow dropped from his hands, and he swayed, just managing to catch himself.

“-maguchi! Yamaguchi!”

Hinata. Hinata stood underneath the tree, scruffy, panting, but otherwise unharmed. Tsukki stood with him, unarmored and pressing a wad of Hinata’s torn shirt to the sword wound on his shoulder.

“How did you do that?! It was so cool! You just, you just- and then they were all- ”

Yamaguchi didn’t answer for a moment. His head was still spinning, like Hinata’s sun flare had sucked the air out of his lungs. Easing out of the branches, he settled himself against the roots, letting the tree hold him up. He reached for his bow.

Eight men lay dead. His arrows carried their demise. Where Hinata and Tsukki’s magic had failed, his had not. Safe. They were safe.

He ran his fingers over the remaining fletchings in his quiver. “I’m just that good.” A hint of a smirk flickered on Tsukki’s face as he re-adjusted the scrap of cloth, and Hinata let out laugh.

Yamaguchi pushed to his feet. “Let me get my arrows and then we’ll find somewhere out of the way to rest,” he said. “That looks like it needs to be stitched up.”

Tsukki nodded, and they set about recovering Yamaguchi’s weapons.

This wouldn’t be their last fight. Their enemies were endless, and Crow Haven would always need to be protected, but now, he knew. He knew why he was a scout, and he knew why he stood with his friends.

He could see how to keep them safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to drop me a line on Tumblr via [GuardianLioness](http://guardianlioness.tumblr.com/)! I love talking shop with fellow fans and creators.


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